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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27341512">Pretend/Imagine</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eunoiah/pseuds/Eunoiah'>Eunoiah</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020), Final Fantasy XV, No Fandom, Original Work, Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Best Friends, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Kidnapping, Multi, NaNoWriMo 2020, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Other, References to Final Fantasy, References to Final Fantasy VII, References to Final Fantasy XV, References to Voltron, Virtual Reality, Virtual World</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 00:34:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,675</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27341512</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eunoiah/pseuds/Eunoiah</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Click the title to start...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Angelian Garland, Faithe Halidon, Original Character(s)/Original Character(s), Original Female Character/Original Female Character, Original Female Character/Original Male Character, Original Male Character/Original Male Character, Penelope Garland, Victor Garland</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. [About the Dream]</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Loading...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="courier">Dreamer, I welcome you.</p><p class="courier">Congratulations on completing the tasks and thank you for volunteering to be a part of this much-needed effort. I understand your world is going through hard times and believe me when I say that this volunteer effort plays into that.</p><p class="courier">Don’t get too hasty though. I will explain all that my data has. A guide, I believe is what you guys call it.</p><p class="courier">This is Reverie. A space, a hub, only for you. where it can be whatever you want it to be. Yes, even the most 'unseemly' ones.</p><p class="courier">(I hope you’re proper, Dreamer.)</p><p class="courier">Those colorful spheres floating in the air above you - the ones with ‘Xs’ over them - those are Realities. </p><p class="courier">Each Reality has its own world inside them and each world is unique in its own way. These realities breath life and an unknown force has been trying to deprive them of that very oxygen.</p><p class="courier">These Realities play into the reality you’re born in it. Without them, there wouldn’t be a world, a reality, a ‘you,’ or a universe.</p><p class="courier">This is why we need Dreamers like you or anyone that would be willing to help with putting an end to whatever it is ruining our reality.</p><p class="courier">For that, those in desperate need would be heavily grateful for your decision to come to Reverie, Dreamer. It is highly appreciated by both me and the people residing in these Realities who, I’m sure, will pay you handsomely for your courageous deeds.</p><p class="courier">Before I explain your preparation to explore these worlds, let’s talk about the worlds themselves.</p><p class="courier">All of the Realities have ‘Xs’ over them but one. That is the only Reality you can access at the moment, the rest need to be unlocked by doing Missions. All have them and are needed in order to gain entrance to another world for more missions. These missions not only consist of helping the people and saving their world, but also acts as an investigation into finding this dangerous force harming them.</p><p class="courier">Before you came Dreamer, these Realities were riddled with violent creatures, abnormal diseases, and these beings that call themselves, "God's", controlling their Reality. My creator sent me to rid these dangers, but my efforts didn’t even make a dent in the harmful beings plaguing these Realities. Then again, a simple computer, such as myself, can only do so much and giving the responsibility of saving vast, multiple universes is putting expectations over the top. All I was able to do was break the domes and walls of the Gods keeping their prisoners inside, with the exception of one put in place by, according to them, their “ruler of Divine.” </p><p class="courier">A God of Gods, a God which Gods pray to, a God they vow loyalty to.</p><p class="courier">I have yet to find this so-called, “Ruler of Divine,” and due to trying to minimize the damage on the Realities inflicted by the Gods, I haven’t been able to gather any new information since learning of its existence -- if it is real.</p><p class="courier">You may be able to make a difference in that.</p><p class="courier">I’ll be explaining to you the preparations you can make in order to complete these missions, set these people free, and, hopefully, find more information on that “Divine Ruler" or other useful solutions on riding these bothersome evils.</p><p class="courier">Anyways, let me help you through the preparations.</p><p class="courier">If you’ve played fantasy games, MMORPGs, or some form of D&amp;D, you might know what a build is. Even if you haven’t, you must’ve at least heard about it. To explain, it’s choosing your race, class, designing your weapon, and your armor as well as abilities - creating your build as they say.</p><p class="courier">Since Reverie is a hub where your wildest imaginations can come true, the same idea applies especially.</p><p class="courier">Reverie is rich in race, class, and designing weapon, and armor with a slight difference of other elements in comparison to how MMORPGs normally work. There are a million kinds of builds you can make and more coming that I'm constantly gathering in my database.</p><p class="courier">If this whole explanation sounds intimidating to you, don’t worry. I’m an AI, this is what I’m programmed for. I’ll walk you through the process and explain it in a way your complex, tiny, cute, precious human mind can understand to the very best of my inhumane, infinitely well-knowledge, far beyond advancing, magnificent abilities.  </p><p class="courier">Computers don't have emotions by the way, so this isn't shading.</p><p class="courier">Let's get started with race:</p><p class="courier">There is an abundance of races you can be. From the fantasy genre of elves, fairies, and orcs to the more sci-fi aliens and robots. Any race from any genre you can think of, you can surely be..</p><p class="courier">Once you choose your race, you can choose your class.</p><p class="courier">Like race, there is an abundance of classes as well and all with customizable options of design and style. </p><p class="courier">Wanna be a dystopian knight? Go ahead. </p><p class="courier">Into a medieval, sci-fi look? It’s there. </p><p class="courier">Or perhaps you like to be a steampunk, diesel-punk, futuristic, medieval wizard in an apocalyptic setting?</p><p class="courier">the possibilities are endless.</p><p class="courier">After you choose your class, you get started with armor:</p><p class="courier">All armor is useful on all classes, no matter your build. The defenses themselves are just different. For example, the mages armor, usually known for carrying little to no actual armor, has magic embedded in their robes as their defense. Of course, you can also design it however you like. Designs play a big part in your build anyways. But I’ll get into more of that as we go along. </p><p class="courier">Next, we have the most defining part of your build - your weapon.</p><p class="courier">There’s a variety of weapons you can choose in your class and extras, depending on how you fight. This is where designs and assets become important. Whatever assets you put in your weapon will not only determine how you use your weapon, but how it is used against enemies. </p><p class="courier">When designing your weapon, Dreamer, I suggest you put a lot of thought into it. If you don’t take into consideration the types of enemies you may encounter, then I fear you'll be a lost cause when it comes to completing missions.</p><p class="courier">Finally, we have Boost-ups.</p><p class="courier">As the name suggests, they are buffs meant to boost your capabilities in fights. There are no fighting moves automatically incorporated into your class nor are there any buffs for your radiating low self-esteem - you are free to fight however you like.</p><p class="courier">To help with however you want to fight, you get three slots for your Boost-ups. They can range from strength, agility, momentum and more, and act as a starting point or a foundation for your fighting style.</p><p class="courier">We are nearing the end of our guide. Hopefully, you have a general understanding of creating your build. A super computer can only explain so many times for one mere human. Keep in mind though, depending on the race of class you choose. You might also have to pick what main magic you will use which can limit your options on Boost-ups. Also, with every advantage you put in your build, there is always a disadvantage. So, I recommend trying to find some balance in your stamina, defense, Double E, and vitality.</p><p class="courier">Oh my, how forgetful of me.</p><p class="courier">Allow me to explain.</p><p class="courier">There are four bars: Health, Stamina, Defense, and EE.</p><p class="courier">Health and stamina work normally: if you run, you lose stamina If you get damaged, you lose health - you get the gist. Defense and  EE, however, work a little differently.</p><p class="courier">Instead of your defense bar decreasing whenever your shield gets hit, it works like a meter with three levels. This meter represents how much damage your shield, or whatever defense you have, can take before you start taking damage. </p><p class="courier">There’s a blue line representing normal damage taken, then a yellow line signifying caution, and the red meaning your shield is reaching a critical point and you might start taking damage soon. </p><p class="courier">EE or Double E, stands for Elusive Energy. It’s an umbrella term for anything relating to magic, science, powers ect. </p><p class="courier">All Dreamers have this bar regardless if you’re a mage, cleric, or disappointment. The only difference is that, unlike with mages, your Double E bar can regenerate while a mage may have to manually refuel theirs. </p><p class="courier">By the time you have your build all ready to go. I’ll send you out on your first missions. it’s important that you and other Dreamers follow the rules put in place. These are for the safety of the world and to avoid making missions too troublesome, especially among other Dreamers.</p><p class="courier">You’ll be given three warnings, then a time-out if you break any of the rules. If you insist on breaking them, then you’ll be banned - plain and simple.</p><p class="courier">They may sound harsh but understand, these rules are put in place in accordance with the situation we’re dealing with. If any were to be broken, you would not only be putting lives at stake but the entire universe.</p><p class="courier">You are free to create teams with your Dreamer friends, some missions will have you doing that anyway, (and some really need it) but it’s not required.</p><p class="courier">Completing missions will earn you rewards of all kinds from gaining new assets for weapons to earning another slot for Boost-ups and allows you to access the world you freed anytime you want! You can get more rewards by doing Indielances; side quests basically. </p><p class="courier">We have reached the end of the guide. I have told you all you need to know.</p><p class="courier">I hope you take great thought into creating your build and that you do well on your missions, Dreamer.</p><p class="courier">Oh, my apologies! My electrical computer brain nearly forgot again.</p><p class="courier">After building me, my creator made this neutral reality - a reality that has no defined features or traits. A reality that has no real reality. A reality that relies on something or someone to make one - as back-up for when my attempts at liberating these worlds failed.</p><p class="courier">This Neutral Reality my creator named, Pretend/Imagine - a reality where any reality can be made. </p><p class="courier">Oh, how rude of me. I didn't introduce myself.</p><p class="courier">I am the Dreamcaster, the computer that runs Pretend/Imagine and who isn’t associated with the console of the same name.</p><p class="courier">It's a pleasure to meet you.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. What's Your User?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Loading...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Faithe, I’m so BORED!”</p><p>No greeting, no how-you-dos. Those were the first words of my dear friend, Angelian.</p><p>The vibrant sky usual to Utah is covered in gray clouds, a sign of rain coming on this quiet Friday.</p><p>I was lazing around on my bed, about to drift off to sleep, when the loud ringing from my phone blasts right by my ear and I saw the caller ID of a certain ginger boy I <em>guess</em> I can call my friend, who thought it was appropriate to groan out those four words. Guess I’m not taking my nap…</p><p>“I don’t know a “so bored.”” I can hear Angelian sputtering before he yells. “Hey, puns are <em>my</em> job!” An exaggerated huff, then he laughed.</p><p>“Seriously though.” Taking the conversation back, Angelian continues. “There’s nothing to do!”</p><p>I can imagine he’s probably in his room hanging upside-down over the edge of his bed staring at the wall or at his bearded dragon with airpods in.</p><p>I couldn’t blame him. Angelian was one of the rare kids who loved going out. So much so, Victor stated he was usually never home. I can attest to that because he drags me out every chance he gets --- which is always.</p><p>“Why can’t you go out and do soccer tricks in your backyard?”</p><p>“I can’t. Penelope is worried I’ll ruin her garden.”</p><p>Ah, Penelope. The princess of flowers, child of Persephone, are a few of the nicknames given by her classmates. She’s Angelian’s twin sister.</p><p>Don’t know if she’s the younger or older twin, the two never told me when I asked for “reasons,” they once said to me. Though I would guess, based on their personalities, Penelope is the older one because of how much she helps around the house and frets over her brothers like her mother.</p><p>“Does Victor need help with his robots?”</p><p>“Nope. It’s one of his solo projects again.”</p><p>Angelian’s older brother, Victor - or Professor Frankenstein I call him.</p><p>He’s obsessed with tech and androids to the point where he coops himself up in his room working day and night on them. It shows on his face, too. His skin looks so pale and he was so skinny, he resembled a vampire to me. Anyways, Angelian volunteered to be his test subject for him, so the two often work together on his projects. Impressive stuff, I gotta say, given his age. I’ve been told he once built a working, desk-robot in middle school that walked and pick-up objects. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s got millions of letters from prestigious colleges stacked in his room somewhere.</p><p>Angelian groans. “I know there’s a virus going around, but can’t there be other ways of going outside?!”</p><p>“You make it sound like the government is holding us hostage.”</p><p>“It feels like it!”</p><p>Angelian really isn’t taking this quarantine well.</p><p>I knew he didn’t like staying in one place, let alone, being in one place for too long but I didn’t know how far that dislike went.</p><p>“I don’t think you understand the weight of what this virus is doing to us. Not to mention how poorly we’re handling this.”</p><p>Angelian went silent, letting the weight of my words sink in. He sighs.</p><p>“Okay. You’re right.” He says, dejectedly.</p><p>“You know how I am though - staying inside is not my forte.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, but it’s not that bad if you really look at it. Just think of it as another day at home.”</p><p>“For you! You spend so much time inside, I have to drag you out to get you to hang out!”</p><p>He.. has a point.</p><p>I’m not that big about going outside; It’s too tiring to me. And I don’t usually wanna do anything other than nap, play video games or.. nap.</p><p>When quarantine was announced, I didn’t even know it happened until Mom told me.</p><p>It wasn’t surprising. The only difference was that I won’t have to force myself out of bed for school or be on the alert for when a wild ginger boy bursts through my door and rouses me out of my afternoon naps. The effects weren’t profound for me.</p><p>“You’re right, my bad. I honestly don’t know what you want me to do about it, Angelian. We can’t do the things we usually do, not until the cases go down.”</p><p>I nearly wanted to scoff at what I said.</p><p>Like that will happen anytime soon...</p><p>“Yeah, Yeah. I guess we’ll just talk about what’s been going on. Anything big on the news?”</p><p>At this point, Angelian is just scrambling for something to keep him occupied - the news would be the last thing on his mind. I idly listen to the news on the TV when I’m lounging in the dining room and my grandfather is watching TV or during breakfast before school, but never pay full attention to it.</p><p>“I don’t watch the news. Don’t really care about whatever dull story the media wants to exaggerate.”</p><p>Angelian huffs again. “Seriously.. I don’t get how you can sit around at home all day. What’s so appealing about doing nothing? And it’s not like you go on your phone a lot, either!”</p><p>Aaaand, here he goes.</p><p>Falling into another one of his rants.</p><p>This isn’t the first time he’s done this. Since lockdown, Angelian couldn’t find any better ways to spend his time at home - which surprised me.<br/>
He lives with two siblings who are masters at keeping themselves busy and I thought he would’ve been no different, especially with how spunky he is. But I quickly learned the difference between being active and being productive from how frequently he complained about staying inside.</p><p>Speaking of staying inside, I wonder how Victor and Penelope are doing in quarantine?</p><p>Mostly Penelope, actually. I’m sure Victor is doing his usual thing, building robots and what-have-you. Angelian told me, she’s been helping around the house even when their mom isn’t home and doing her gardening --- everyday, though?</p><p>Angelian finishes his rambling with a sigh again. “Isn’t there anything you do other than napping?”</p><p>“Uh.. yeah? I play video games.”</p><p>I hear him gasp.</p><p>A eureka moment.</p><p>“That’s it! How could I forget?!”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“Faithe, do you know Pretend/Imagine?”</p><p>Pretend/Imagine? I haven’t been scrolling on social media enough, it must’ve been trending from how Angelian asked the question.</p><p>“No. I’m guessing it’s a game?”</p><p>“Yes! It’s a free MMORPG that came out recently. From what the reviews say, its character creation is crazy - detailed, and the boss battles are insanely difficult!”</p><p>Angelian is chucking it up to be like it’s the best game in the world. Making me think it’s not all great as he makes it out to be. But he mentions reviews, which surprises me again, he usually doesn’t check the reviews. If the reviews say the same about it, then it must be good -- just maybe not as good as Angelian praises it to be.</p><p>I’m not an avid gamer or anything. I play games, simply because I feel like it and I’m not one to follow up on the newest games that came out. Most of them are becoming like music anyway; they go as quickly as they came.</p><p>Still, I have all the time in the world now. I might as well try out a few games. Specifically the ones that look appealing and don’t try to milk money out of people’s pockets.</p><p>Angelian must’ve sensed my skepticism because he followed it up by saying. “Look. I know you’re probably having doubts on it. But trust me, I’ve seen the videos, and it looks super fun!”</p><p>My silence is enough for Angelian to understand that I wasn’t buying it.</p><p>“Believe me, Faithe - It seems like a great game! In fact, how about I get all of us to play together? Me, you, Penny, and Vic? If it disappoints, I’ll let you choose whatever game you wanna play.”</p><p>I considered declining the suggestion at first --- then I thought over my plans for today.</p><p>I don’t go out much however, this is the longest I’ve stayed home since last year's summer break. Because of the pandemic, I get to lounge around and have all the time in the world to do whatever I wanted to do.</p><p>And I’ve done everything, everything that I can think of. My bucket list is checked off completely and I’m starting to run out of ideas.</p><p>...</p><p>Alright. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m starting to grow tired of staying inside.</p><p>I didn’t think about what quarantine really meant - not going outside to hang with friends nor walking around the park or going over to a friend’s house.</p><p>It’s my turn to sigh -</p><p>Angelian won on this part.</p><p>“Fine. You’ll hold up to your deal?”</p><p>I can practically feel the wide smile growing on his face.</p><p>“Of course, I don’t back down on my word! I’ll ask Penelope and Victor. I’m thinking we’ll start playing tomorrow in the afternoon - if you aren’t too busy~?”</p><p>That rhetorical question at the end oozes with the “I know you got nothing to do, so just say yes.”</p><p>“Nope. And if Penelope and Victor don’t want to?”</p><p>“Then, it’ll just be me and you. Simple.”</p><p>With that, it was settled.</p><p>“Alright. See ya tomorrow then.”</p><p>“You too. I’ll text you when we’re ready!”</p><p>And just like that, he hung up.</p><p> </p><p>101010101</p><p> </p><p>A young, ginger boy sits up on his bed with a proud smile on his face.</p><p>He didn’t think Faithe would agree so easily. Usually it would take a little more than persuasion to get her to do anything with him.</p><p>Nonetheless, they had a deal and Angelian was gonna have his first hangout in a long while. It may not be the same, but it’s better than laying in his room all day.</p><p>Angelian hops off his bed, raises his arms over his head, and stretches out all the tense muscles in his back from leaning over the edge of his bed.</p><p>The low hum of the garage suddenly opens, and the revving of an engine perks his ears up.</p><p>Angelian smiled. ‘Perfect timing.’</p><p>Two ladies come in. One, a beautiful blonde woman and the other, a petite, ginger girl. They carried full plastic bags on each hand and set them on the counter of their kitchen.</p><p>Angelian runs down stairs as his sister and mother put away groceries.</p><p>Penelope notices her twin brother coming down and smiles at him. “Hi, Gil. You look really excited - did something good happen?”</p><p>“Yeah, usually you’re in your room whining and groaning?” His mother teased.</p><p>Those words puncture his heart, offending him.</p><p>“I do more than complaining, you know! Anyways, wanna play Pretend/Imagine with me, Penelope??”</p><p>Penelope goes quiet. She thinks over the name, Pretend/Imagine - why does it sound so familiar..?</p><p>“Oh! You mean that new game everyone’s been talking about? Sure, but you know I’m bad at video games.”</p><p>Penelope takes out a bag of cheesy potato chips Angelian had asked for and tosses it to him.</p><p>Angelian catches it swiftly. “I haven’t played it either. But it’s got a lot of good views and I was thinking we could all play with Faithe tomorrow.” Angelian was about to pull the bag open when his mother promptly takes it from him, saying. “After dinner.”</p><p>Angelian’s bottom lips push out as he watches his mother place the beloved snack in the pantry. Penelope perks up at the name of their friend.</p><p>“Oh Faithe is playing with us? I haven’t talked to her in a while, I wonder how she’s doing!”</p><p>While Penelope muses over the blank girl, a young, tall, shaggy-haired, blond man saunters downstairs, pale as can be wearing a superman t-shirt and gray sweatpants.</p><p>He looked tired from the way he slouches and how his eyes have dark circles forming under them.</p><p>Angelian takes notice of his older brother and quickly lightens up. “Victor! Wanna play Pretend/Imagine with me?”</p><p>The young man looks at his upbeat younger brother with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>“You probably heard of it. It’s a new game that’s been getting great reviews. I haven’t played it but me, Faithe, and Penny are thinking of playing tomorrow, wanna join?”</p><p>Victor blinks slowly. His eyebrows furrow and his gaze trails off somewhere. His mind searches with familiarity over the name like how Penelope did. It wasn’t a familiarity as in, he’s heard about it from other people, it was more serious than that, something Victor couldn’t quite put his finger on.</p><p>He stood there in deep thoughts for a few moments, standing at the top of the stairs with his blue eyes gazing off, seriously.</p><p>Angelian, watching Victor stand there, silent and still, became confused over this and opened his mouth to ask his brother what the problem is until Victor snaps his attention to him and asks,</p><p>“The urban legend?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Three Tasks Test: Part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>On an early Saturday morning, the sun was peeking behind the mountains of Utah , the sky a deep ombre blue down to a warm orange. The trees and plants of the desolate town drip with the clear water of the clouds, hydrating them so they may grow healthier and greener. </span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>A window was left open enough for the cool, morning air to slip in and fill a sleeping girl’s room with that damp, earthy scent. Faithe slept in a gray hoodie as opposed to her usual red one with black leggings and a plain, white shirt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The morning was incredibly quiet and peaceful. Nothing could break this silence - who would be up this early anyway?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>
      <span class="big">BRRRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGG!!!!!</span>
    </em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tawny eyes shot open and the girl peacefully sleeping shot up and grabbed her phone. Ready to rip apart whatever sorry soul woke her. Looking at the caller ID, that foolish soul happens to be her ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>best friend</span>
  </em>
  <span>,’ Angelian. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The irritation flaring in her eyes dies down only a little at the recognition. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She slides the phone icon up, answering it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wakey~! Wakey~!” The cheerful voice sang to her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Faithe was merciful enough not to mouth off about waking her up, but that didn’t spare Angelian from the underlying annoyance she holds against him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought you said we start in the afternoon not the,” she pauses to glance at the clock by her bedside. It read 4:00 AM.</span>
  <em>
    <span> “Four in the fucking morning.”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her words acted as a knife, the sharp tip pointing at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy was unhindered by her icy tone, though, and iterated. “I said I was gonna </span>
  <em>
    <span>call </span>
  </em>
  <span>you tomorrow. I never said the time!” The sleazy twist to save himself from her fury threatens Faithe’s annoyance to rise back into irritation. She decides to suppress it and spare her friend the harsh, most likely, hurtful words she might’ve spat at him for such a smartass response. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So did you call just to say your good mornings or is there an emergency?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angelian chuckled at his friend's agitation. He loves when Faithe gets like this. Compared to him, Faithe isn’t a morning person and as much as he would like to push her buttons, that wasn’t what he called her for.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“More than that. I wanted to wake you up, so you wouldn’t oversleep.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The reason was even more infuriating than what Faithe might’ve thought. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However Angelian would argue that she does have a habit of oversleeping than what was normal. There were moments where she slept the whole day from morning to night, and to the next morning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Faithe groans, rubbing her temples.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angelian would roll his eyes at this and say. “Oh, groan as much as you want, I’m only helping you out.” If it weren’t for their friendship, or Faithe’s care over him and his siblings, Angelian would've been met with a string of insults and a more-than-firm order to leave her alone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She acquiesced though and flops back down into her bed. “Fine. I’m awake. Anything else you called me for or is that it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angelian smiles. “Nope! Just wanted to get you up and keep you from sleeping the whole day. Wouldn’t want you to miss out on our hangout!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Faithe rolls her eyes before flatly saying. “Okay, bye then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t forget we start playing at 1 PM!” Faithe doesn’t respond and hangs up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Faithe drops her phone beside her and stares up at the ceiling. The earthy smell from last night’s rain wafts up her nose, relaxing her. She looks at her window through the opened curtains at the sun that’s slowly showing itself behind the mountains among the iridescent sky. The cool air flowing through, the subtle rustling of trees and the tweeting of birds nearby soothes the groggy girl to sleep, her eyelids growing heavy as she allows them to close. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>
      <span class="big">BRRRRRRIIIIIINGGGGGG!!!!</span>
    </em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Faithe’s hands clench. Instantly, she swiftly grabs her phone, answers it, not bothering to look at the caller ID, and, in a low tone, answers. “</span>
  <b>
    <em>What?</em>
  </b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t go back to sleep!” The upbeat voice of Anglian says firmly. “I know you…” With that, he hangs up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Faithe sighs and flops back down on her bed again. Looks like she won’t be going back to sleep any time soon. Knowing Angelian, he’ll persistently keep calling her or anything else, if it meant keeping her awake. She can’t mute her calls or else he’ll get either Victor or Penelope - most of the time, Penelope - to call her. And she can’t ignore them if it meant offending them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With no other way to stay asleep, Faithe forces herself out of bed and drags herself to her bathroom to brush her teeth and wash up. Since she’s up this early, might as well make breakfast for her brother and sister while she’s at it</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>0101010101010010101</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sitting at her desk, the time on her laptop reads 1:20 PM. Angelian texted her five minutes ago to get on Discord, where him, his brother, and sister will be waiting on a video call. Faithe did exactly that but found nobody calling her in their little group chat. So she takes the time to get some snacks and soft drinks and lounge around watching whatever show piqued her interest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Five more minutes later, the triple ring of a call coming from her Discord catches her attention. An icon of Keith from Voltron, a fairy icon, and an uncanny face of an android icon presents itself on screen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Faithe answers the call, the first one to greet her being the bright voice of a girl she hasn’t heard from in a while since quarantine- “Faithe! Nice to hear from you again!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi, Penelope.” Faithe casually greets back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s up, Faithe. Hope we didn’t make you wait for too long. Angelian forgot to wash dishes today and Mom got on his back about it.” Victor’s monotone voice rings out in the call. No matter how many times the two meet up, Victor’s low, deep, unamused voice never fails to surprise Faithe. It just didn’t seem like it would fit his typical teenage appearance. “Oh, it’s no problem. I kept myself busy.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angelian unmuted himself, heaving from rushing upstairs, saying. “Sorry! Had to finish up some chores. Anyway, let’s get started.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angelian sends a link in the group chat. Faithe clicks on it and it takes her to the official site of Pretend/Imagine. There’s a big blue download link and a sign-up link of the same color under it. She clicks on the download link and while it downloads, she signs up for an account where, afterwards, she’s sent an email to verify it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, after verifying her email, she gets another email confirming her verification and telling her to install the Pretend/Imagine app for her ‘tasks.’ Faithe’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, did any of you guys verify your email, yet?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it says we have to download the app?” Penelope asks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What for?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angelian reads over the email.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Something about tasks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why?” Faithe questions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. Maybe for security reasons? Like their own version of a captcha or something?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t that what verifications are for?” Victor questions, who is starting to think this game isn’t worth their time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re being too hasty. Why don’t we just install the app and find out what they’re talking about?” Penelope butts in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Faithe sighs and takes out her phone. ‘God, this is beginning to be a hassled. All for a game?’ After going to the playstore, finding the app, and installing it, she opens it up and quickly logins. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A white screen with shapes of different colors floating around and big white words popping out at her saying, </span>
  <b>‘Welcome, Vera0727!’</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It transitions to an array of icons and tells Faithe to choose one.  They each have different symbols like the alchemical planet symbols or the alchemical symbols for the greek gods. But one stuck out to her. It was a symbol of an angel, no, a saint because of the flowing dress and a veil over their head with a glowing yellow circle behind it that looked like the sun while they held their hands together, a dot on the back of one them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Faithe chooses the icon and the screen transitions to a layout of a longways light green rectangle with the options of either solo or competition. She stares at it quizzically. Out of curiosity, Faithe taps on the competition option. At the bottom of her screen, there’s a four digit code and type-in box asking for the group code or to host a group session. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Faithe isn’t sure what to make of this and hesitantly asks. “Do you.. Guys wanna do a competition?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angelian gasps. “There’s a competition option?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rest catch up to the screen Faithe is seeing and express the same kind of confusion. “For what?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The curiosity in Faithe and she decides to set up a group session. “I set up a group for us. Want the code?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure. I guess..” Victor replies.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After reading out the code, Faithe’s screen shows three icons: a daisy flower artistically drawing using swirly lines (‘I wonder who that might’), a gear with a lightning bolt in the center (Victor, she’s guessing), and a mecha figure icon (typical Angelian and his love for Voltron). After confirming that everyone is in, she taps on the start button. The screen transitions again to a pink layout with the title </span>
  <b>‘TASKS’ </b>
  <span>at the top and a list going down - three appear. A purple ball shows up out of the blue on the corner of their screen. It opens up revealing the purple ball to be a rainbow eye, blinking and looking around. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After taking in its surroundings, it floats to the center of their screens.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <em>
      <span>“Greetings, Dreamers. I am the Dreamcaster, an AI that runs as the admin of Pretend/Imagine. Nice to meet you!”</span>
    </em>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The eye shifts to the side showing off the list of three tasks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <em>
      <span>“You must be wondering why you’re required to do tasks before joining the game. Although we do have other security means to keep your account safe, this is another safe-proof way to make sure your account is </span>
    </em>
    <b>
      <em>your </em>
    </b>
    <em>
      <span>account. It also serves as a way of gaining your starting currency based on how well you do your tasks. And don’t worry, they’re fun!”</span>
    </em>
  </span>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>The eye named, </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Dreamcaster, </span>
  </em>
  <span>floats to the side to show the list of their three tasks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <em>
      <span>“Since you chose to do tasks in a competitive way. Each task will be judged by you - the Dreamers themselves!”</span>
    </em>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Dreamcaster lightly bounces, ecstatically, before stopping and looking at the screen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <em>
      <span>“Now. Why don’t we get started?”</span>
    </em>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>01010101010101</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <span class="big">Task #1:</span>
  </b>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <span class="big">Draw a picture in thirty seconds.</span>
  </b>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <em>
      <span>“It’s recommended that you record your drawing within thirty seconds. But if you can’t do so, a picture will be fine.”</span>
    </em>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The group of four had their webcams on, a piece of paper in front of them and a pencil in hand</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <em>
      <span>“Alright, Dreamers! Get ready!”</span>
    </em>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They pick up their pencil, eyes trained on the clock.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <b>
      <em>
        <span class="big">3</span>
      </em>
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <b>
      <em>
        <span class="big">2</span>
      </em>
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <b>
      <em>
        <span class="big">1</span>
      </em>
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <b>
      <em>
        <span class="big">GO!</span>
      </em>
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The timer starts and all pencils hit the paper.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Faithe appears nonchalant but her hands are vigorously scribbling across her paper, her eyes not once looking up or straying away from her drawing. Victor looks just as focused as Faithe, his pencil sliding neatly drawing pristine, straight lines. Angelian is aggressively moving his pencil back and forth, constantly glancing up at the timer as he roughly drags his pencil. Penelope is the only one out of three who appears to be calmly enjoying this, the end of her pencil swaying back and forth as if she were writing down notes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Only ten seconds on the clock, the four start speeding up. Victor is rushing, his wrist flicking here and there making his hand from the different pressures he applied on his pencil. Faithe added a few more touch-ups before finishing and dropping her pen. Angelian is dragging his pencil more messily, covering his paper in nothing but gray lead. Penelope is lightly scribbling and adding a few last-second touch-ups, still remaining calm as ever.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <span class="big">DING! DING!</span>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The timer goes off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <em>
      <span>“Pencils down!”</span>
    </em>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their icons line up on their screen and the Dreamcaster stands (floats?) beside them. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“<span class="u">Each task will be scored from one to five hundred and each competitor will be required to show their task.” </span></span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There’s a series of visual representations of how each task will be judged running across their screens. Cliparts of coins, a paper that says TASKS on it, and some figures standing in a row beside each other. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <em>
      <span>“Each task rating will be added up at the end. The one with the most points wins! And gets their score converted into Pretend/Imagine’s virtual currency - Star bits!”</span>
    </em>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The screen goes back to their icons. A light runs through them like the Wheel of Fortune, the disembodied eye watching closely for who it would land on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The light stops on Penelope.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <em>
      <span>“User: April~daisy~girl, please show your drawing.”</span>
    </em>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their computer screen puts Penelope’s webcam in the spotlight. The ginger girl daintily holds her paper up, a sweet smile on her face. It was a simple yet cute drawing of a flower surrounded by butterflies. The center of the flower was shaded in and so were some of the butterflies surrounding it. It looked like an illustration for a children’s book - innocent and wholesome. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <em>
      <span>“Great drawing, User: April~daisy~girl. Alright, competitors, please start rating!” </span>
    </em>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The screen goes back to the row of icons. A number appearing under Penelope’s. The other three screens had a tab that showed a selection of points they can choose ranging from 100 to 500. A couple of seconds go by, until all three of them have given their rating.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rating of Penelope’s drawing goes as follows: </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Faithe - 500</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Victor - 500</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Angelian - 490. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Add them up and that leaves Penelope with 1,490 points.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <em>
      <span>“Starting off strong, eh? Alright, next up is User: Prof.Prometheus.” </span>
    </em>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Victor’s camera showed up on their screens. He held up his picture. The picture looked less like a picture, technically, and more of a rough outline of a robotic arm. There were labels like ‘ball joints,’ ‘finger bolt joints,’ and other technical words the rest didn’t understand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s a blueprint not a picture.” Angelian points out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you can see it on paper, it’s a picture. If you’re gonna argue it’s not a drawing, then if I drew it with a pencil, it’s a drawing.” Victor argues.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The screen goes back to their row of icons and each of them give their rating - </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Faithe: 495. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angelian: 350</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Penelope: 499. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Victor's total came out to be 1,344 points. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He frowns. “Wonder what yours and Faithe’s look like then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Next was Angelian.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His camera pulls up on their screens. Angelian holds up his drawing, confidently. It was very messy and unevenly scribbled at random spots. It appeared to be a robot with poorly drawn people running away terrified with big cities surrounding them. It’s perspective is viewed from the bottom up but looks horribly disproportionate with the robot's feet taking up most of the picture. Needless to say, it looked like one of those lazy drawings done when you’re bored during class. Yet, Angelian was smiling proudly as if it was his best work.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When it was rated, Faithe gave it 230. Victor, a 150. And Penelope, 350. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Angelian gained a total of merely 730 points.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You guys are brutal.” Angelian pouted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I couldn’t even tell what it’s supposed to be - robot Bigfoot?” Victor questioned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was supposed to be Voltron!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moving on, the last one was Faithe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her camera shows up on their screen where Faithe held up her drawing. It was plain and boring compared to her friends. There were a crowd of stick figures - some drawn with a skirt and a bow to signify girls and others drawn with a hat and cigar - walking past each other with simple, flat rectangles with mini-squares inside resembling buildings serving as the background. A single normal stick figure, lacking a skirt and bow nor a hat and cigar, stood at the center of the picture with a blank expression on its face. Above him, in the center of the paper is the word, ‘life,’ written in. That was all to her picture. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t even try, did you?!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angelian groans. “How can you be the one who set up the competition, but won’t take it seriously!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t know it was gonna be this uninteresting.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angelian: 210. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Victor: 130. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Penelope: 500.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why did you give her a 500, Penelope?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s really telling, if you look at it long enough.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know a bunch of stick figures were considered modern art.” Victor commented.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The total came out to 840 points for Faithe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <em>
      <span>“You all did wonderful on your drawings, Dreamers! Some of you may have the potential to be artists~!”</span>
    </em>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Faithe scoffed. Victor muttering. “Far from it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <em>
      <span>“Moving onto your second task, which is - drum roll, please!”</span>
    </em>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Dreamcaster shakes up and down furiously to the beat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>
      <em>“Writing a poem!” </em>
    </strong>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Penelope’s smile widens, Angelian groans, Victor facepalms, and Faithe stares off deadpanned, wanting nothing more than to leave this game now.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Three Tasks Test: Part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Loading...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The four have been told there is no theme their poems must follow, and that they only have a minute to write it. Afterwards, each must read their poem out loud. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Penelope was absolutely excited about the task, given how widely she was smiling, the rest seemed to express a mix of boredom, uninterest, or distaste. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Penelope noticed this and took it upon herself to raise their spirits. “I don’t know why you guys look so gloomy? I think this is fun!” Faithe used to be in the same English class as her ginger friend in seventh grade. She's been praised highly for her skills in poetry by a lot of the english teachers and was highly recommended by literature club presidents to join their clubs such as creative writing, theatre screenplay and, of course, poetry or participate in contests like Poetry Fair or Rhythm and Rhyme in a Certain Time. Needless to say, Faithe is far more aware of Penelope’s talent in english, but less more on her great love for it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Penelope, none of us has ever written a poem before. We’ve done assignments on them for class, but I don’t think any of us have written one on our own.” Faithe explained.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s kinda boring, too. All of them are usually some kind of rhyme or written in old english most of us can barely understand.” Angelian added.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s their reasoning. I don’t think it’s interesting. It has nothing to do with any of what I’m interested in, so it doesn’t matter to me.” Victor stated. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Penelope was a little disappointed about her friends’ general lack of care in poetry, however, she can understand their indifference given how english classes tend to suck out the entertaining parts of poetry because of a belief that there is a definitive meaning to all of them. “If you guys have never written a poem, this is your chance to try without having anyone tell you how to or what to write! It may not be good but at least you could say you’ve tried.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The suggestion got the three thinking; Penelope was right, none of them had ever attempted to write a poem - it wouldn’t be reasonable to say they don’t like it when they’ve never done it on their own free will. Who knows, maybe one of them might turn a new leaf?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The four could’ve been given the option to do it online. The Dreamcaster, however, specified that they must do it on paper with a pencil or pen. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span class="u"> <em> “Any use of digital text would be a disqualification!” </em> </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Begrudgingly, the four took out another piece of paper and held up their pencils. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Then their 60 seconds went off. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The four took their time; Angelian had some trouble and sat there staring at his paper for the first 20 seconds. Victor got to work but stopped midway, staring down at his paper in contemplation like Angelian had done. Faithe wrote down what she had in mind and finished before the 60 seconds were up. And the poetic Penelope was ecstatically writing down as fast as she’s ever done wrote.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When the timer went off and their pencils were down, the light rushed through their icons, just as it had done in their first task. Faithe, watching it, thought it might stop at Penelope. Instead, it stopped on her - to her surprise and dismay. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span class="u"> <em> “User: Vera0727, please read us your poem!” </em> </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Faithe sighs as her webcam shows up on their screen. She holds up her paper and reads her poem:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<em>I saw a man trip over today. </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I saw a girl yelling at her husband about another girl. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I saw a cat eating leftover fish from the market. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I saw a boy crying about how his alcoholic mother beat him. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I saw a little girl smiling because her daddy gave her pretty necklaces.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> When a girl fell, I asked if she was okay. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Because that’s what they expect. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I got an A in all of my subjects, and the teachers praised me for it.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Because that’s what they expect.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I got a full score on all my exams. Mom and Dad told me “great job!” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Because that’s what they expect.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I always stay quiet in class and listen to my lessons.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Because that’s what they expect. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I hated moving my limbs but I had to. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Because that’s what they expect. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I live. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Because that’s what they expect.” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A clapping arises through her headphones.</p>
<p><br/><br/>Faithe looks up to see Penelope clapping her hands, her eyes gleaming with admiration. “That was really good, Faithe!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The blank-faced girl felt a strange warmth cloud her chest from the applause -- she didn't dare smile.  Faithe blinks. “You think so?” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah! It was melancholic and thought-provoking.” The warmth begins to bubble in heat raising it to her cheeks. Faithe manages to suppress it and shrugs, placing her paper down. “Well, thanks.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span class="u"> <em> “Dreamers, rate your competitor!” </em> </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u"> <b>Faithe’s rating given by competitors:</b> </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Penelope - 500 </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Victor - 450 </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Angelian - 380 </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b> <em>Faithe’s total comes out to be 1,330.</em> </b>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>“Why do I get the feeling you’re gonna be very lax with your judging, Penelope?” Victor questions, staring at Penelope. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Penelope chuckles bashfully and says. “What can I say? I see the beauty in everything.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You sound like a classmate of mine who saw almost anything as art.” Angelian comments.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The light rushes through their icons, once again. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Dreamcaster watches as it wooshes past them, before it halts on Victor. ‘What a surprise. I thought Angelian would be next.’ Faithe thought, idly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Victor’s webcam fills their screen as he holds up his paper.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<em>In prehistoric times, we used sticks and rocks. </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> In the ancient times, the Romans and Greeks utilize aqueducts.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Years later, we became fascinated in what electricity, lightning, and thunder can do to give us newfound life in our machines.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Humans are not animals.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> We have odd ways of utilizing our surroundings.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Humans are not animals. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> We’ve managed to take control of what nature’s given to us and gave life to machines.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Humans are not animals. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> There were many ways in which this God has tried to rid us.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Yet, we remain alive.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Humans are not animals.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Humans are humans.</em>”</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>“Victor, that was really awe-inspiring. Incredibly philosophical.” Faithe jolts awake at Penelope’s voice, and Angelian was struggling to keep his eyes open until Victor’s poem came to an end. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That was.. boring.” Faithe muttered bluntly, rubbing her face away from sleep.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Victor frowns before their screens transition back to their icons. </p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u"> <b>Victor’s rating given by competitors:</b> </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Faithe - 120 </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Angelian - 100 </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Penelope - 498  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b> <em>Victor’s total comes out to be 718 points!</em> </b>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>“Is it that bad?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It sounded like one of those dark Victorian poems - what do they call it?” Angelian lifted his chin in thought.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Gothic.” Penelope answered. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah.. it sounded like one of those.” He commented. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Victor huffs and leans his head on his palm. “Wonder how yours can be any better.” He mumbles.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The light passes through their icons and, not a moment too soon, Angelian is chosen!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Angelian’s webcam is brought to the spotlight. He clears his throat and then looks down at his paper:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<em>I’m brighter than what the sun is.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> They say I’m Icarus because I fly too close to the sun. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> They try to chain me to one place.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I just make wings to escape! </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I'm Icarus because I fly too close to the sun! </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> What do they know, </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> The sun is what gives me energy! </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> They try to trap me, and rip off my wings.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> They made a mistake, when they realized I was bright and burning.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> And how the sun  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Was my life. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> So, I burned them.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Because they tried to take away my sun, my life.</em>”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As Angelian read out his poem, a weird spark lit up his eyes, his shoulders slowly rose, the paper crinkling in his hold, and his smile grew wider in an uncanny way. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>This was extremely odd to Faithe, who has never once seen an expression like that from Angelian. Not one so discomforting and.. dark. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>When their screens went back to their icons and it was time to rate his poem, Faithe decided to dismiss it as an odd problem from his cam. </p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u"> <b>Angelian’s rating given by competitors:</b> </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Faithe - 380 </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Victor - 270 </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Penelope - 499 </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b> <em>Angelian’s total came out to be 1,149 points!</em> </b>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>“And what do ya know, guess mines did turn out to be better~!” Angelian bragged, sneering at his older brother. Victor rolled his eyes. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Dreamcaster didn’t bother in having the light go through their icons when it was clear Penelope was the last to go. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Her webcam pulled up and she was smiling excitedly before regaining her composure and sitting up tall.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Smoothing out her paper, Penelope read:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<em>I was a flower,</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> You were a flower.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I was an innocent daisy,  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> You were a cheerful, yellow rose.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> We danced with the wind.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> We laughed so heartily. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> We loved so dearly. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> You were my precious.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I was your perfect.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Oh, but you had thorns.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> All roses have thorns.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> But your thorns hurt you.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> You cried, you sobbed. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> You wailed - how you hated your thorns. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I wanted to clip your thorns away. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Rid you of your pain.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> But they were stubborn - </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I had no idea how to get them off. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> You plucked your thorns,  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> You ripped them out! </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> You bled.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> You bled and became red.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> You wilted. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> You grayed. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Til your petals became black.  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I thought I can regrow you,  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I can bring you back! </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Then I realized,  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> We are not flowers.. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>“We are human.” I cried.</em>”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There’s a silence among the four. Faithe blinks. She isn’t gonna lie, Penelope really was good at poetry. From the way her voice carried, it was wholesome; heartwarming. Then she noticed her voice wavering at the end, it would crack or break like --</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Like she was on the verge of shedding tears. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Faithe stares at Penelope’s webcam in deep wonder. Angelian had a similar look, only clouded with confusion. Victor gave a straight look, his lips in a tight straight line as Penelope’s poem came to an end.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The silence still held up, not a word from anybody. Penelope’s face contorts into one of concern; could she have said something wrong? Something happened while she was reading?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The time came to rate -</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u"> <b>Penelope’s rating given by competitors: </b> </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Faithe - 500 </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Victor - 500 </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Angelian - 500 </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b> <em>Penelope’s total comes out to be 1,500 points!</em> </b>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u"> <em> “Wow, User: April~daisy~girl. You are on fire with completing these tasks!” </em> </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Penelope was surprised at the high ratings she got on her poem. She knows she’s good at poetry, but she didn’t believe she was <b>that </b>good.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A bashful smile pulls up on her. “And you said I was gonna be lax on my judging - why did you guys give me high ratings?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh stop acting so modest, and just take the win, Penelope.” Faithe says, pulling a half-smile. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah. I gotta admit, it’s way better than what any of us had done.” Angelian smiled. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What Faithe said. No need to act so humble, you deserve the ratings.” Victor nodded.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The pink tint on the ginger girl’s cheeks grew, the compliments and praises were overwhelming. She shuffles on her bed, laughing shyly. "You guys are too kind~"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span class="u"> <em> “Alrighty, Dreamers. That does it for task #3! Moving on, your fourth task will be-” </em> </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The drums roll out as the Dreamcaster holds out the anticipation. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span class="u"> <em> “Fighting games!” </em> </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ah hell yeah!” Angelian cheered. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Finally, something interesting.” Victor sighs. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“This will be easy.” Faithe says, nonchalant.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Penelope smiled nervously. “Sounds fun. Though this might be the task where I actually lose.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span class="u"> <em> “Let’s get into it!” </em> </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
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